As the 10th anniversary of September 11 drew to a close, area churches held special services to mark the day.  The mood at First Baptist Church was somber and introspective as the large crowd waited for the evening service to begin. The room was packed. Many people spent the day watching 9/11 commemorative programs and Youtube videos, as well as having reflective conversations with their friends, family and neighbors.  It came as no surprise that many turned to church to wrap up their emotion-filled day.   First Baptist took an unusual approach by hosting the Stone Mountain Chorus, a men's …

Melissa Landinez, an American who grew up in South America, lived in Uruguay in 2001.  She was nine months pregnant with her son, Christopher, at the time of the bombings.   “It was a beautiful day in Montevideo, Uruguay,” she recalled.  “It was a beautiful day here, too, or so I heard.”  As information became available, she and her family turned to the news to watch the events unfold.   “When the first [plane] hit, I thought, how odd,” she said.  “Then almost immediately afterward, a second one.  It was just so chaotic.  The second hand stuff we were getting down there, we saw people jumping…

Millions of people across the country were affected by the 9/11 attacks. Some experienced the tragic loss of a loved one, some found an inspiring way to help those who were grieving, and others experienced a political awakening.  To help reflect the endless diversity of their experiences, Patch and Huffington Post looked out across our sites to pull together 911 snapshots of everyday Americans whose lives were changed by the events of that day.From across the country, this Patch site and hundreds of others captured the faces, keepsakes, memorials, ceremonies, flags, fund-raisers, deployments …

Samira Ahmed, a woman featured previously on the Snellville Patch for her remarkable journey to the United States, opened up about her experiences following 9/11.  “As a Muslim woman, I heard things from people here and there,” Ahmed recalled.  “I heard that all Muslims are terrorists.”  After the initial shock of the planes hitting the World Trade Center, Ahmed felt the same sense of sadness and anxiety that every other American faced.  When learning that the 9/11 mastermind, Mohammed Atta, had trained as a pilot in Gwinnett County, she was very concerned.  Over time, however, she began to …

Chris McKnight was only 8 years old when the towers were hit. “Well I remember as much as was on the news,” McKnight said. “I was only in the second grade when it happened so like most other children my age I didn’t really know what was happening until a while later.” “I remember watching the TV and being confused because of all the people that were crying and running around but I didn’t know why or what sacrifice had been made. I wasn’t thinking about all the people that lost their lives or about the fear that must have swept the country when the planes hit. But like I said I didn’t entirely…

Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer, whose term comes to a close this year, shares his experience of September 11, 2001.  He was on the Gwinnett County Water and Sewer authority at the time.  By trade, he is a civil engineer.   “I was at work, and I remember the day clearly,” Oberholtzer said.  “The firm I was working with did a lot of military work.  Things were a little slow, and all of a sudden our chief architect came in and said, Jerry!  A plane hit the World Trade Center!”  Oberholtzer immediately got on the Internet to see what was happening, but it froze as soon as he pulled up Fox News.  He …

Elena Diaz is a retired Gwinnett County educator and still works part time for the Gwinnett County school system. She was teaching ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at Hopkins Elementary in Lilburn when the towers were hit. “It was hard trying to act like everything was normal so the students wouldn’t find out anything,” Diaz said. “The kids could tell something weird was going on but we really couldn’t vocalize any of it. I can remember parents coming in checking out students all day long.” “We had some teachers on staff from New York City who still had family members there," …

Ryan Berrey is a firefighter and paramedic at Gwinnett County Fire Station No.6 on Johnson Drive. Berrey was working a side job for an ambulance in Walton County when he first heard the news. “I was on duty when someone mentioned it,” Berrey said. “We were watching after the one plane had hit the World Trade Center. I had to leave to get to another station. When I got to the other station the second tower was hit. I then got a call, went to the hospital, and heard the first tower was on the ground. “ For many people like Berrey, there was work to do and the day had to go on as usual. “The day…

Abel and Alethea Atelsaid came to the United States in the mid-1990s as college students. They met soon after arriving, and pursued the American Dream.  September 11, 2001, remains vivid in their minds, but it is the years following that stick with them the most.  The following is a transcription of the video posted above.  Abel Atelsaid“My name is Abel.  I’m originally from Sudan, in East Africa, a Muslim populated country.  I came to the United States back in 1996, and have been living here for a while.   “September 11 was a day that has changed many people’s lives.  It has also … I lived …

Lynda Young, a national speaker and author of the "You are Not Alone" book series, first heard about the news at home when she was on her way out for a dermatologist appointment. “I went to the office and they had the TV on and everyone was glued to that TV. No one knew what was happening. One of my biggest concerns was that it was going to hit my home city where my family was. Sitting in that waiting room, it was total silence. No one was talking. It was surreal.” Young grew up in Oklahoma City, Okla., where her family still resides. “I had called my dad in Oklahoma City to see how they were…

Snellville Patch continues the conversation with local citizens to discuss their memories and feelings following the events of September 11, 2001.  For many, remembering that day brings a time of reflection and introspection.  So much of who we are and who we have become is tied up in that day.  We recently caught up with Snellville businessowner Michelle Couch, owner of Blitz Communications.  Michelle was in the midst of difficult times herself, having just lost her sister the year before, and her job earlier that year.  Her father, a retired Naval Reservist, passed away two years later.  …

James Williams, music minister at Snellville UMC, said he didn’t have a significant connection to Sept. 11, 2001 -- no more than the next guy. Since then, however, he has created music in worship, or in concert at Dacula High School, where he is choral director. Any American, he said, would say the event changed them. "It is my hope that 9/11 is not forgotten, but remembered eternally," he said. "It was a horrific act, but one that brought us together not only as Americans, but as human beings. "The strength and camaraderie that grew out of those events was staggering, and I hate that it took…

From now until Sept. 11, Snellville Patch will be collecting user pictures of the World Trade Center, including Ground Zero, as a growing gallery in tribute to the Twin Towers. We will also be running profile stories of Snellville residents as they remember the tragic event of Sept. 11, 2011, and as they look to the future. To contribute to the gallery, upload your personal photos of the towers here, or send them in an email to Snellville Patch editor at Joy.Woodson@patch.com. Also, please tell us in a few lines the story behind the photo.

Certain things remain etched in our memories forever – where we were when Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot, what we were doing when John F. Kennedy was killed, and more, recently, what we felt when the Twin Towers were attacked and ultimately leveled.  As we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, we give Patch readers the opportunity to share their stories of where they were on that day.   We caught up with Dave Emanuel, a city council contender, to share his thoughts on the tragic events, which killed nearly 3,000 people. “I was at work when we heard a radio announcement that …